Golden and Earp awarded for SOPHE paper of the yearhttp://unclineberger.org/news/2012-news/golden-and-earp-awarded-for-sophe-paper-of-the-year
Shelley Golden, MPH, and Jo Anne Earp, ScD, co-wrote an article that received the Lawrence W. Green Paper of the Year Award at the 63rd annual meeting of the Society for Public Health Education (SOPHE), held Oct. 25-27 in San Francisco.Earp, professor and former chair of Gillings School of Global Public Health's Department of Health Behavior and member of UNC Lineberger, has been on the UNC public health faculty since 1974. Golden, who received her Master of Public Health from the School in 1999, is a lecturer in the health behavior department.

The Lawrence W. Green Paper of the Year Award is presented to authors of a paper published in the journal Health Education & Behaviorthat has made a significant contribution to the literature. Past honorees have advanced theoretical foundations of health behavior, utilized innovative quantitative or qualitative methodologies, or have conducted programs and evaluations that strengthen the scientific evidence base for social and behavioral change.

Golden's and Earp's winning paper, "Social Ecological Approaches to Individuals and Their Contexts: Twenty Years of Health Education and Behavior Health Promotion Interventions," was published in the June issue of the journal.

"One of our goals in writing the paper," Golden said, "was to stimulate discussion about the current and future directions of interventions in the health education field."

Golden said she thought the award will draw additional attention to the paper in a way that furthers that goal, adding that she had appreciated the opportunity to correspond with researchers and practitioners interested in using their analysis tool or pursuing similar projects.

"I also feel very honored," Golden said, "to have the paper recognized with an award named for Larry Green, whose work I employ in my teaching, and to share the award with Jo Anne Earp, my longtime mentor."

For more than 60 years, SOPHE has served as an independent professional association represented by a diverse membership of nearly 4,000 health education professionals and students throughout the United States and 25 international countries. The organization promotes healthy behaviors, healthy communities and healthy environments through its membership, its network of local chapters and numerous partnerships with other organizations.

Originally published at www.sph.unc.edu/schoolwide_news/golden_earp_write_health_behavior_paper_of_the_year_25340_8289.html

]]>No publisher20122012/11/13 13:55:00 GMT-4News ItemLilly Oncology on Canvas Art Exhibit on display in the N.C. Cancer Hospital Lobby November 7-21, 2012http://unclineberger.org/news/2012-news/lilly-oncology-on-canvas
UNC Lineberger Comprehensive Cancer Center is hosting the Lilly Oncology on Canvas Exhibition in the lobby of the N.C. Cancer Hospital.From November 7-21, 2012, visitors will be able to see artwork from the 2010 competition currently touring hospitals, cancer centers and patient advocacy group events.

Ian Buchanan, MD, MPH, Associate Vice President for UNC Health Care Oncology Service Line, said, “We’re glad that our patients and families will have the chance to view this powerful exhibit. We hope they will draw hope and inspiration for their own cancer journey from the artwork.”

In 2004, Lilly Oncology created Lilly Oncology On Canvas to help people affected by cancer cope with the emotional side of the disease.

This biennial competition, presented by Lilly Oncology and the National Coalition for Cancer Survivorship (NCCS), invites people from the United States and Puerto Rico who were diagnosed with any type of cancer - as well as their families, friends, caregivers and healthcare providers - to express, through art and narrative, the life-affirming changes that give their cancer journeys meaning.

]]>No publishernews20122012/11/07 01:00:00 GMT-4News ItemGreen joins UNC Lineberger External Affairshttp://unclineberger.org/news/2012-news/green-joins-unc-lineberger-external-affairs
Elizabeth D. Green has joined UNC Lineberger Comprehensive Cancer Center’s Office of External Affairs in the role of major gifts officer. She will work with UNC Lineberger supporters, faculty and staff to enhance awareness of and private support for cancer prevention, research and treatment programs at UNC Lineberger and the N.C. Cancer Hospital.Green comes to UNC Lineberger with more than twenty years of experience in nonprofit management, development and marketing. She brings extensive experience in advocacy, special events and community relations to the position. Prior to joining UNC Lineberger, Green spent twenty-two years at the National Multiple Sclerosis Society, Central NC Chapter, where she was hired as special events coordinator and was subsequently promoted to President.

Green is a graduate of the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, where she earned her Bachelor of Science in the School of Public Health (now the UNC Gillings School of Global Public Health). She is a member of the Association of Fundraising Professionals and serves on the board of the Weaver Foundation and N.C. Community Health Charities.

]]>No publisher20122012/11/05 15:47:22 GMT-4News ItemPatterson elected President of the Association of Professors of Cardiology http://unclineberger.org/news/2012-news/patterson-elected-president-of-the-association-of-professors-of-cardiology
The chief of cardiology in the University of North Carolina School of Medicine and member of UNC Lineberger has been elected president of the Association of Professors of Cardiology.Cam Patterson, MD, MBA, associate dean, Health Care Entrepreneurship, physician-in-chief, UNC Center for Heart and Vascular Care, and chief, Division of Cardiology, was selected by his peers to serve as president of the APC through 2014.

Patterson is an Ernest and Hazel Craige Distinguished Professor of Medicine at UNC. Most recently, he was named as the recipient of the 2012 Judah Folkman Award from the North American Vascular Biology Association.

Patterson’s research focus is the investigation of the processes of angiogenesis, cardiac failure, and atherosclerosis.

The Association of Professors of Cardiology promotes the professional development of its members, leads the effort to train cardiovascular specialists, and strives to be the voice of academic cardiology.

Each of our cells contains genes that are the building blocks for life, but to keep a human healthy, those building blocks need to be manipulated in specific ways. This is where epigenetic tags come into play. These tags overlay our DNA and trigger the chemical reactions that manipulate our genes. If our genes aren’t expressed properly, then diseases—including many kinds of cancers—can be the result.

Scientists have long wondered whether some epigentic tags interact with each other. And if so, how?

Now, UNC researcher Brian Strahl has found the first evidence of a connection between two tags—histone modification and DNA methylation. And he found that a protein implicated in cancer plays a role in the proper maintenance of each tag.

Histones are proteins that control how DNA is packaged inside cells and how active genes will be. DNA methylation is the chemical process responsible for turning specific genes on or off. Both tags have to be regulated. And because each tag plays a specific role during different phases of cell division, some scientists didn’t think a single protein would play a role in maintaining both tags.

But using a lab technique he developed, Strahl found that a protein called UHRF1 helps maintain histone modification and DNA methylation. Strahl says he didn’t expect this result because scientists had thought that DNA methylation was maintained only during DNA replication.

The finding gives scientists more information about how epigenetic code is maintained and possibly how cancers are created.

Like all genes, the gene that makes UHRF1 is supposed to produce a specific amount of the protein. But other scientists have found that UHRF1 is overexpressed in some cancerous tumors. Because of Strahl’s finding, scientists now know that too much UHRF1 can cause trouble not only in histone modification but also with DNA methylation.

Strahl has given other researchers another bit of knowledge they can use to battle tumors where UHRF1 seems to be a culprit.

Brian Strahl, an associate professor of biochemistry and biophysics in the School of Medicine, published his research in the journal Nature Structural & Molecular Biology. Study co-authors were postdoc Scott B. Rothbart, research assistant professor Krzysztof Krajewski, and former UNC grad student Jorge Y. Martinez.

]]>No publisher20122012/11/05 09:55:00 GMT-4News ItemNew resource for single fathers due to cancerhttp://unclineberger.org/news/2012-news/new-website-for-single-fathers-due-to-cancer
A new website for Single Fathers Due to Cancer has been launched as a way to help fathers more easily find resources and support.The website includes common experiences of these bereaved husbands and fathers, resources to support their children, and helpful organizations and resource information.

Justin Yopp, PhD, program coordinator for Single Fathers Due to Cancer, explains, "Each year, thousands of men mourn the loss of their wives to cancer while adjusting to their new role as sole parents. At the same time that they are struggling with their own grief, they are also trying to shepherd their children through this difficult time. Remarkably, there are very few resources available for this population of fathers."

“For these reasons, we feel it is imperative to learn about their experiences and offer targeted interventions to facilitate their adjustment. We recently launched a new website (http://www.singlefathersduetocancer.org) to help these fathers through this difficult time.”

“The site also includes a research survey that fathers are invited to complete so that we can learn more about their coping and adjustment needs."

Results from the UNC Institutional Review Board-approved study will help program faculty develop interventions to lessen the burden of future generations of fathers and their children.

The Single Fathers Due to Cancer Program includes a monthly support group for fathers and their children. Donald Rosenstein, MD, director of the UNC Comprehensive Cancer Support Program, co- leads the support group and the Single Fathers Program.

]]>No publishernews20122012/11/02 00:00:00 GMT-4News ItemKomen's 31 Days of Impact features Careyhttp://unclineberger.org/news/2012-news/komens-31-days-of-impact-features-carey
Dr. Lisa Carey was featured by the Susan G. Komen Foundation as part of its 31 Days of Impact series that profiled men and women who are inspirational in the fight against breast cancer. A Komen grant recipient, Dr. Carey is the Richardson and Marilyn Jacobs Preyer Distinguished Professor for Breast Cancer Research; Chief, Division of Hematology and Oncology; Physician-in-Chief, North Carolina Cancer Hospital; Medical Director of the UNC Breast Center; and Associate Director, Clinical Research of UNC Lineberger Comprehensive Cancer Center.

]]>No publisher20122012/11/01 14:05:00 GMT-4News ItemMcLeod quoted on chemotherapy dosages in Genetic Engineering and Biotechnology News http://unclineberger.org/news/2012-news/mcleod-quoted-on-chemotherapy-dosages-in-genetic-engineering-and-biotechnology-news
Genetic Engineering and Biotechnology News interviwed Howard McLeod, PharmD, about the role of physicians and insurance companies in gauging chemotherapy dosages in an article titled
"Chemotherapy for the 21st Century" published Oct. 31, 2012. Dr. McLeod is a Fred Eshelman Distinguished Professor in the division of Pharmacotherapy and Experimental Therapeutics at UNC. He is a member of UNC Lineberger.

]]>No publisher20122012/10/31 13:09:52 GMT-4News ItemVan Le Named Palumbo Professor http://unclineberger.org/news/2012-news/van-le-named-palumbo-professor
Linda Van Le, MD, professor of gynecologic oncology and member of the UNC Lineberger Comprehensive Cancer Center, has been appointed the Leonard Palumbo Distinguished Professor of Gynecologic Oncology.
This professorship was established in 1986 in honor of Dr. Leonard Palumbo. Because of Dr. Palumbo's long standing commitment to gynecologic oncology it was the family's wish that this professorship be designated as a professorship in gynecologic oncology. Dr. Wesley Fowler, Jr. held the professorship during his nearly forty years of dedicated service to the UNC Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology.
This professorship was established in 1986 in honor of Dr. Leonard Palumbo. Because of Dr. Palumbo's long standing commitment to gynecologic oncology it was the family's wish that this professorship be designated as a professorship in gynecologic oncology. Dr. Wesley Fowler, Jr. held the professorship during his nearly forty years of dedicated service to the UNC Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology.

In 1991, Dr. Van Le started her fellowship under the direction of Dr. Fowler here at UNC. She joined our faculty in 1993, rising to tenured professor in 2002. Dr. Van Le has had success combining basic science research with clinical research and has over 80 peer-reviewed publications. Her research has been published in respected peer-reviewed journals and most recently has focused on clinically relevant topics. Currently, her research is focusing on improving clinical care through implementing pivotal clinical trials. She is the Principal Investigator for the UNC Gynecologic Oncology Group grant, our subspecialty’s multi-institutional collaborative group funded by the NCI; and is Director of Clinical Trials for the UNC Gynecologic Oncology. Individually, Dr. Van Le has very actively initiated clinical trials within the gynecologic oncology group. In particular, she has forged a strong relationship with industry to bring forth new drug treatment opportunities for patients. She has been a leader in research to develop novel chemotherapeutics for ovarian cancer and to understand the impact of aging on ovarian cancer. She is an active member of the Lineberger Cancer Center Elderly Working Group and is the PI of a prospective trial to assess the impact of cancer surgery and chemotherapy in the elderly.

Dr. Linda Van Le has been a leader in her subspecialty at many levels, and has gained national recognition for her contributions. Not only has she been able to maintain a high level of clinically and academically productive; she is a superb teacher who serves as an outstanding role model for all medical professionals.

Originally published at: https://www.med.unc.edu/obgyn/highlights-honors/Oct_2012/appointments

]]>No publisher20122012/10/31 09:05:44 GMT-4News ItemWeissler named vice-chair of the Board of Regents of the American College of Surgeonshttp://unclineberger.org/news/2012-news/weissler-named-vice-chair-of-the-board-of-regents-of-the-american-college-of-surgeons
Mark C. Weissler, MD, FACS, was elected vice-chair of the Board of Regents of the American College of Surgeons (ACS) during the organization’s 2012 Clinical Congress in Chicago on Sept 30. Weissler is the Joseph P. Riddle Distinguished Professor of Otarlarngology/Head and Neck Surgery and Division Chief of Head and Neck Oncology at the University of North Carolina. He is also a member of the UNC Lineberger Comprehensive Cancer Center.

A graduate of Boston University School of Medicine, Weissler has worked as a professor with the UNC Department of Otolaryngology-Head and Neck Surgery since 1986. An active member of ACS, he has served on the ACS Board of Regents and as the chair of the ACS Committee on Ethics and the ACS Central Judiciary Committee. He has also recently been elected as a Director of the American Board of Otolaryngology.

For a complete listing of the new ACS leadership, visit: www.facs.org/newsscope/ns101212.html#ns1

]]>No publisher20122012/10/31 08:55:30 GMT-4News ItemUNC physician elected to board of directors for American Society for Radiation Oncologyhttp://unclineberger.org/news/2012-news/marks-elected-to-ASTRO-board
Lawrence B. Marks, MD, has been elected to a two-year term on the Board of Directors of the American Society for Radiation Oncology (ASTRO). He will serve as Vice Chairman of the Clinical Affairs and Quality Council. This Council promotes patient care through practice guidelines, clinical expertise and a focus on quality and safety.

Dr. Marks is the Dr. Sidney K. Simon Distinguished Professor of Oncology Research Professor and Chairman of the Department of Radiation Oncology in the UNC School of Medicine.

Regarded as one of the country’s top breast cancer specialists, Marks’ clinical and research interests include three-dimensional and conformal radiation treatment planning, breast cancer and lung cancer.

He was the physician leader of a national team of experts who reviewed available studies and established new guidelines for the safe treatment of cancer with radiation therapy, and served as co-editor of the report that appeared in the International Journal of Radiation Oncology, Biology and Physics.

A native of Brooklyn, NY, Marks earned his undergraduate degree in chemical engineering from Cooper Union School of Engineering. He earned his medical degree at the University of Rochester School of Medicine and completed his residency training in radiation oncology at Massachusetts General Hospital. He came to UNC in 2008 from Duke where he had served on the faculty since 1989.

ASTRO is the largest radiation oncology society in the world, with more than 10,000 members who specialize in treating patients with radiation therapies. As the leading organization in radiation oncology, biology and physics, the Society is dedicated to improving patient care through education, clinical practice, advancement of science and advocacy.

]]>No publishernews20122012/10/31 00:00:00 GMT-4News ItemParise and Leisner research into protein CIB1 profiled in Raleigh News and Observerhttp://unclineberger.org/news/2012-news/parise-and-leisner-research-into-protein-cib1-profiled-in-raleigh-news-and-observer
The Raleigh News and Observer interviewed Leslie Parise, PhD, professor and chair of the department of biochemistry, and Tina Leisner, PhD, a UNC research associate in biochemistry, about their research into the linkage between breast cancer and the protein CIB1.The article, titled "UNC team targets cancer-helper protein", can be read here:

]]>No publisherbreast cancer20122012/10/29 09:46:07 GMT-4News ItemAmos discusses breast cancer in the black community on Black Issues Forumhttp://unclineberger.org/news/2012-news/amos-discusses-breast-cancer-in-the-black-community-on-black-issues-forum
Keith Amos, MD, FACS, was interviewed by UNC-TV’s Black Issues Forum on community education about breast cancer in the African American community on Sunday, Oct. 28. The segment, titled “New Approaches to Breast Health” can be viewed at http://video.unctv.org/video/2296836076.

Amos is an assistant professor of surgical oncology and a member of the UNC Lineberger Comprehensive Cancer Center.

]]>No publisherbreast cancer20122012/10/29 09:05:00 GMT-4News ItemCaregiver Conversations: support for caregivers http://unclineberger.org/news/2012-news/caregiver-conversations
Look at a typical directory of cancer support groups and you’ll find listings for cancer types, survivorship, and coping. But not too many lists include groups for caregivers.The UNC Comprehensive Cancer Support Program offers a twice-monthly group for caregivers. Kathy Roundtree, LCSW, is one of the group facilitators. “Caregiver support is important because patients depend so much on the assistance and support provided by caregivers. Caregivers often take responsibility for assisting with medical tasks, keeping up with insurance and medical information, providing transportation, keeping the household going, and helping the children if there are children at home. This extra burden can be rewarding, but it is also demanding.”

Ryan Keith, a caregiver for his wife, Jane, through two cancer diagnoses, agrees. He explains, “When someone gets cancer, the whole family gets cancer. Caregivers need to have special care for themselves. How do they do that? They need to be able to get counsel and have a place where they can share feelings.”

Ryan serves on the N.C. Cancer Hospital Patient and Family Advisory Board’s Steering Committee for Caregiver Conversations. “I was very interested in getting a group started for caregivers. I do this to honor the memory of Jane.

“Coming from not having this opportunity when Jane was sick to being here, hearing what people say, listening to people interacting and learning from each other is heartening. Caregivers in many situations are ignored. We think we’re doing something pretty special here, making this service available for caregivers. There are resources now in the new cancer hospital: massages, counseling, so many ways to help caregivers.”

Fellow Steering Committee member Larry Hutchison agrees. “When my best friend was diagnosed with Multiple Myeloma in the summer of 2010, I felt an immediate need to help him and his family. As I learned how to become a caregiver during the many visits to the N.C. Cancer Hospital, it became obvious from having many discussions with other caregivers that they too had multiple concerns and issues both short and long term. These caregivers needed help!

“During the long days of infusion, chemotherapy, and finally the BMT, I began doing research on caregivers in general. Based on the potential needs in the future in the US; approximately 2/3 of our population will at some time in their life have the potential to be a caregiver, a staggering number.

“During our caregiver support group sessions, it becomes so evident of the many needs and support the caregivers face.”

One support group member says, “ I like sharing with other people who are going through similar situations. You can share things with one another that you can’t share with the person you’re caring for because you don’t want to burden them or have them feel like they’re a burden to you.”

Another support group members adds, “After being a caregiver for a number of years for my spouse, we realized that in order to reduce the tensions and some of the activities that go on from constant caregiving that I needed to pay a little more attention to how to be a caregiver and as a caregiver to take care of myself. I needed to communicate with other caregivers and see what kind of problems they had and how they related to my problems. This group is helpful to me.”

Kathy Roundtree concurs. “In this group, caregivers have the chance to share the burdens they carry, and, as the proverb states, ‘A burden shared is a burden halved.’ They may get suggestions from others whose experience can benefit them. Caregivers can form new connections in the group that they may pursue outside the group for further support. The group also offers caregivers a time to focus on themselves and their own needs, something they often find difficult while trying to meet the needs of the patient.”

She adds, “Research shows that patients have better outcomes when their caregivers do better, and research also indicates that caregivers sometimes have lower quality of life than patients if not receiving support.”

Larry Hutchison concludes, “At UNC, we can develop world- class caregiver support group guidelines. We have the talent, passion, resources, and leadership to make this happen, and then perhaps this proven “Caregiver Model” can be adopted worldwide.”

The support group meets the second Tuesday and fourth Thursday of each month at 10 am in the Patient and Family Resource Center. The group is organized by Angela Ford, MSW, LCSW, who is a case manager with the N.C. Cancer Hospital, and Loretta Muss, coordinator of the N.C. Cancer Hospital Patient and Family Advisory Board.

]]>No publishernews20122012/10/26 00:00:00 GMT-4News ItemTop articles about lay health advisors authored by UNC facultyhttp://unclineberger.org/news/2012-news/top-four-articles
There are Top 20 lists for music, books and for articles written about lay health advisors, as reported by the BioMedLib “Who is Publishing in My Domain?” journal.UNC faculty have authored the top four articles ever written about lay health advisors. Jo Anne Earp, ScD, and Geni Eng, DrPH, both professors of health behavior in the UNC Gillings School of Global Public Health, led groundbreaking programs engaging lay health advisors to increase awareness about breast cancer in African-American communities in North Carolina. Their programs were recognized and used nationally as models for other efforts.